An Unexpected Turn
by DrAnime203
Summary: When Natsu and Lucy take on a mission, it changes their relationship. My first fan fic. R&R! Rated M for future lemons, violence and language. Natsu x Lucy ON PERMANENT HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

_Heya everyone ^^ This is my first fan fic, so please review with comments, criticisms and praises._

_Lucy x Natsu_

_Please note – This fan fic is set before the chapters on Edoras._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, everything about it belongs to ****Hiro Mashima.**

Chapter One

Lucy was NOT having a good day. She rested her head against her forearms, leaning on the bar for some form of comfort. Mirajane spotted the seemingly dishevelled Celestial Spirit mage and danced over, poking Lucy's head cautiously. She grunted in a very unladylike manner and glanced up at the silver haired waitress.

"Oh… Hey Mira." The blonde spoke in barely more than a whisper. This earned suitably worried expressions from the few guild members sitting on the bar stools. After all, Lucy was usually upbeat and cheerful in the mornings and today… today she seemed introverted and abnormally quiet. _'Something is definitely wrong with her' _thought the waitress, frowning deeply and reaching out to feel the young girl's forehead, as if searching for an explanation for her depleted mood.

The contact caused Lucy to raise her head, blushing slightly at the concerned expression on her friends face.

"Oh, sorry Mira, I just didn't get very much sleep last night. I received…" -a dark look shot across the girls face- "an unexpected wake up call." The ever-motherly waitress relaxed slightly and grinned.

"I really should have a word with those boys; they can't just go storming into a young ladies house at unearthly hours! You might not be decent!" Mira giggled and Lucy nodded, appreciating the understanding words she received from the woman before her, who was slowly becoming like a sister to her. The other mages seated at the bar went back to what they were doing with the assurance of normality returning.

A loud crash interrupted the low hum of conversation in the beer hall, everyone present turning their attention to the now open oak doors.

"LUCY!!!!!!!!!" a tall, salmon haired boy screeched as he stumbled through the doors, causing said blonde to bury her head back into her arms and groan exasperatedly as the boy started toward her. "LUCY! WE SHOULD GO ON A MISSION TODAY! I'M SO FULL OF ENERGY… oh." He faltered mid-step as he gazed into two very angry light brown eyes.

"Oh dear," Mirajane stated simply, sensing the dark aura of 'I'm-gonna-kill-a-dragon-slayer' energy shedding off the petite girl before her "poor Natsu."

"Natsu, I suggest that if you want to go on a mission with me, you DON'T show up at my house at 5am with your perverted friend!" Lucy said through gritted teeth as she pointed at the doors at a very confused Grey. Somehow, he managed to look offended.

"HEY! I am not perverted, it's just a habit!" he said, simultaneously shredding his white shirt.

A vein in Lucy's forehead popped, her face reddened and everyone in the hall ducked slyly under tables or behind chairs. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"IF YOU'RE NOT PERVERTED THEN WHY ARE YOU TAKING YOUR CLOTHES OFF?!" The Celestial Spirit mage roared, eyes glazed over with fire and fists clenched tightly, making her knuckles white. The raven-haired boy looked at the fuming girl then down at himself, showing genuine shock at the sight of his now naked body. He jumped and covered his _area_ with a tray resting on the nearby table, returning to grin sheepishly at the blonde.

"Oops!" He started, "I guess someone must have stolen them- OW! LUCY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he exclaimed she appeared before him and bonked him on the head repeatedly. The guild members all exchanged looks, then without warning, burst into fits of hysterical laughter at the scene before them.

"Enough." A beautiful red-head commanded from the upstairs gallery of the guild. She made her way down the stairs, her armour glinting in the sun coming from the open doors and her miniscule skirt swaying with the movement of her hips, causing a great number lusty stares and a few nosebleeds. She reached the pair who were still fighting and grabbed Lucy by the wrist, pulling her back with one hand, while throwing a pair of boxers at Grey with the other.

"Sorry Erza." Both said, their eyes downcast as if being scolded by a parent.

"That's okay, I'll let it go this one time but Lucy," she grabbed her shoulder roughly "no more temper tantrums, and Grey," she grabbed the boy in a similar manner "no more nudity." Both teens glanced up nervously and shivered at the dark look they were receiving from the S-class mage.

"Geez, Erza sure is scary!" Mira chuckled as she began wiping down the bar with a wet rag.

-Later that day-

Lucy strolled leisurely down the cobbled road leading to her apartment, admiring the deep orange sunset and the calm, blue water of the canal. She breathed in deeply, letting the smell of summer rush through her. She had to admit, Magnolia was truly beautiful at this time of year.

The blonde felt movement beside her and she recognised Natsu's unmistakable smell, (fire and some sort of spice, paprika maybe?), but she didn't acknowledge his presence, still ticked off about the wake-up call. Surprisingly, the dragon-slayer maintained the silence, allowing her to enjoy the gentle hum of sounds coming from the town for as long as she could. Lucy sighed inwardly before observing the pink-haired boy beside her.

Natsu was dressed, as always, in his black waistcoat and white harem pants with the yellow scale-skin scarf wrapped lazily around his neck. His abs sat comfortably on his torso, his tan skin radiating health and vitality. As much as she hated to admit it, Lucy just loved to _look_ at the boy. The sight of him comforted her in a way she couldn't explain, as if just being near him made her happy (_'which of course is ridiculous'_ she told herself).

"Lucy? Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?" the boy questioned, snapping the now heavily blushing girl out of her daze.

"What? Oh, no Natsu, there's nothing on your face; I was just in my own little world." She rubbed the back of her head and grinned nervously, silently praying that he wouldn't dig any further into the issue.

"…Right. You're crazy Luce!" he grinned widely.

"Mm, yeah, I guess I can be a little 'crazy' when woken up at 5!"

"Aw come on! You still mad about this morning? I said I was sorry about a million times today!"

"Humph." The girl crossed her arms in a rather stubborn way, but was taken by surprise when the fire mage jumped in her path, their bodies only inches apart. He was frowning, and stepped closer embracing her suddenly.

"Don't be mad at me Luce; I hate it when you're mad at me. I really am sorry, and Grey is too, I know it." The petite blonde's eyes were wide with shock from the sudden display of affection, her arms sitting awkwardly at her sides. Natsu's words blew warm air against her ear, sending un-noticed shivers down her spine. He made her nervous for reasons she couldn't pinpoint; maybe it was because her mouth was pressed against his collar-bones? (It was the inevitable consequence of not wearing anything under a waistcoat).

"It's okay Natsu," she mumbled shyly "I know you're sorry, it's just been a long day." Lucy sighed, nuzzling her face against his warm skin and cautiously wrapping her arms around his toned frame.

The pair stood there for a while, just enjoying holding each other. By the time they broke apart, the sun had fully vanished from the horizon, leaving a dark sky where a colourful one had been only moments before. They began walking a little farther down the dark path until they came to Lucy's door.

"Erm… Would you like to come in for dinner?" Lucy staring at her shoes, the fear of seeing rejection or contempt in his dark eyes terrified her.

"Course, Luce." He grinned at her and brushed past her through the door and settled in her kitchen. He knew the apartment well, and felt more at home there than he even did in the guild. Lucy's house smelt just like she did, and it comforted him.

Lucy joined him in the kitchen, and was busying herself with food preparation as Natsu reached onto his pants pocket and pulled out a scrunched slip of paper, smoothing it out with his palm.

"Hey Luce, check out this mission I snagged today!" His sudden outburst of noise caused the blonde to jump slightly, but she twirled elegantly and leaned over the paper, reading it quickly.

'_Two mages are required to travel with Lord Ikito through The Great Forest. The mages will need to prevent attack or robbery by any means necessary._

_The journey will take roughly 5 nights._

_Reward: 100,000 jewels'_

Lucy's eyes widened at the reward money. That was a lot for such a simple mission. She looked up to Natsu's beaming face, and then nodded slowly.

"Does that mean you'll do it Luce?!" the dragon-slayer jumped up excitedly, knocking over the chair on which he's been seated.

"Yes," she replied hesitantly "but I just don't understand why you'd want to go with me? Gray and Erza would surely be a better choice for a two man mission…" Lucy trailed off awkwardly when she saw the expression of pure… exasperation on the boys face.

"I asked you to come with because you are good company. And you're not annoying like Grey, and you're not scary like Erza. You shouldn't doubt yourself Luce," a cheeky grin plastered onto his face "you really are a good mage!"

Lucy blushed a deep scarlet and mumbled an acceptance for the reasoning before turning again to continue preparing some food. This was going to be an interesting mission.

_Okay, that's my first chapter done! Hope you all enjoy!_

_R&R! _

_DrAnime203 x_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey everyone! I'm back for chapter 2! _

_I would just like to say thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the story so far, it really means the world to me (:_

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, everything about it belongs to ****Hiro Mashima.**

Chapter 2

They were kissing heatedly, bodies glued together. Natsu's mouth trailed to the blonde's neck, nibbling at the soft skin he found there, causing her to let out a sigh of sheer pleasure. Lucy's hands trailed down his back, pulling his frame closer to her, leisurely moving her hips against his. She eagerly ran one of her hands over his broad, muscular back and slipped the other into his soft, unkempt hair, encouraging his ministrations. His hand trailed down her stomach, so slowly the tension almost pained her. She let out a whining noise as he pulled back from her, his hand moving to her cheek, caressing as he looked straight into her large fawn eyes.

"Lucy, I-" the boy began, but was cut off by a strange, shrill cry. They both looked around confused, and when their eyes met again Natsu was wearing a frown. He grabbed her shoulders, and began shaking her gently. "Luce, hey Luce!" his voice seemed far off, as if he were behind a thin wall, as apposed to in front of her. "LUCE! WAKE UP!"

The blonde snapped up quickly, causing the boy who had been shaking her to jump back in surprise. She took in the surroundings groggily through half-lidded eyes. They were in a cozy train carriage, light flooding through the wide window to her left which revealed a serene green field, dotted with horses. A loud screech came again from the train, signalling its stop. Lucy blushed at the memory of her dream, silently cursing her rather vivid imagination. Her attention turned to the salmon haired mage in front of her, who was giving the 'you-are-insane' look.

"Sorry Natsu, guess I fell asleep huh?" the blonde offered.

"Yep," -he nodded in agreement- "and you were snoring too!" The boy laughed at the death glare he was getting from his team-mate. "Can we get off this thing now? Before it starts moving again?" he shivered at the very thought.

Lucy nodded, and stood, stretching her aching limbs; sleeping on a train did bad things to your back. Natsu had already zoomed out of the carriage on onto the platform, impatient to get away from his one weakness – motion sickness. The Celestial Spirit mage donned her heavy backpack and fixed her outfit quickly, lost in her thoughts as she slowly moved to leave the train.

That particular dream had become all too familiar in recent months, and it always ended similarly; with a sudden interruption and a VERY frustrated Lucy. She had told herself it was stupid, that he was her nakama and nothing more, but the dreams kept coming back persistently. What was her sub-conscious hinting at?

She jumped down onto the platform, smiling slightly at her companion. He smiled back, walking to her side.

"So Luce, where are we meeting this Lord Ikito guy?"

"I assumed we were meeting him here, I guess we'll just have to wait…" the blonde shrugged before spotting some benches on the platform, and signalling for him to follow, they sat.

The train station wasn't particularly busy in the afternoon and the people moved sluggishly in the summer heat. The train whistled again before pulling away from the stop, chugging out of sight and exposing the pair to the intense glare of the sun. Their mission couldn't have come soon enough, the daunting issue of rent hovering over Lucy's head like a cloud that was threatening to burst. She had asked Mira about The Great Forest shortly before their departure, and quickly learned of its reputation for housing dangerous wild animals and bandits and general 'bad guys' as Mira had put it, but by then it had been too late to turn down the mission. Plus, 100,000 jewels was good pay, even for a two man mission. Natsu interrupted her thoughts with a fit of coughing, and she turned to him, frowning.

"Are you alright Natsu? You're not getting sick right?" she was understandably worried, a bed-ridden team-mate could seriously jeopardize the mission.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he cut in hastily "what do you think this guy's like then?" Lucy's eyebrows knitted together at the abrupt change of subject but let it drop. Natsu wasn't the type to admit to weakness easily, and she knew she wouldn't get any more out of him.

"I was thinking short, fat, self-involved, but you can never be too sure. He's definitely rich or powerful, why else would he need a guard?" Her answer was absent-minded and concern was clear in her expression as she eyed the fire-mage, looking for anything out of place. He looked slightly flushed and there were several fresh scars on his arms from their last mission, but nothing more. She looked up to his face and caught his quizzical look.

"Like what you see?" he shot her a devilish grin and waggled his eyebrows, causing blood to race too her cheeks and she slapped him on the back of the head, rage surfacing from the temperamental mage.

"I," -slap- "was not" -slap -"checking you out!" she screeched in pure frustration. _Plus if I were too look I wouldn't get caught _her mind chimed in, triggering a fresh wave of heat to reach her face. The boy laughed at her tomato red face as he rubbed his head. Clearly she had not done any damage to the insatiable dragon-slayer, and she was inwardly glad. For all their bickering and play fights, she never felt truly angry towards him; no matter what he did. To some extent this worried her, as his actions were often outrageous and mostly very stupid, but Lucy had come to terms with her feelings towards Natsu almost as soon as they emerged. Not to say they were welcome; it was quite the opposite, as she hated the way she became so flustered over the slightest contact with the boy.

They were both staring blankly out at the scenery, both completely detached and lost in their own thoughts when a figure approached them and cleared his throat, instantly grabbing the pair's attention.

"Are you the Fairy Tail mages that took on my mission?" the man asked in the heavily accented tone of the upper class. Lucy looked him up and down, shocked at the man stood before her. He was tall; at least a head taller that Natsu and looked a year or two older. He wore a long-sleeved black dress shirt, modest faded-blue jeans and dark green hunting boots. The most striking feature of this man was his hair, ebony and short, in a careless style that framed his masculine features incredibly well and probably cost more than a years rent to achieve at the barbers. His eyes were a piercing deep emerald shade and his nose was like those on Greek statues, strong and prominent. His lips were thin and almost exactly the same shade as his skin; a light olive shade that was no doubt caused by sun rather than genetics. _Holy crap, he's hot! _Lucy's mind concluded from the once over and she stood, suddenly very aware of her appearance.

"Lord Ikito?" her question was incredulous. He was the polar opposite of what she'd expected and was stunned, her eyes glued to his. His lips curved into a broad smile, revealing straight, white teeth and bowed lightly, taking her hand and pressing his lips against it gently. Lucy blushed.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I assume you must be Lucy, the Celestial Spirit mage?" she was shocked by this, and her expression showed it. The man chuckled warmly. "I assume this because the reputation of the most beautiful mage in Fairy Tail precedes you, as well as the _lovely_ shots of you in the Weekly Sorcerer." By now Lucy was blushing furiously for the nth time that day and simply nodded, taking her hand back. She had been asked to do a modelling spread for the mage-communities most popular magazine and had jumped at the chance, but she still felt slightly embarrassed of the attention it bought her.

Ikito's attention turned to Natsu and his eyes widened in recognition. "And this must be the infamous Salamander! Quite the little time bomb aren't you? You're very good as causing destruction." His smile turned into more of a sneer and didn't hold out his hand to the Dragon Slayer. Natsu looked at the man intensely, anger flashing across his eyes, clearly angered by the shot as his pride, but there was something more too it. He had been watching Lucy and the man's interaction and it bought a troubling feeling to his stomach. It was entirely unpleasant and unwelcome to the fire-mage. It was the sort of possessive, protective feeling that was unmistakably one thing, and one thing only (thought Natsu would never admit to it). Jealousy.

_Chapter 2 done! Yay!_

_I would really like some feedback for this one, I am nervous that the readers and fans of the first chapter will feel let down by it._

_I will try and do a chapter every week, promise ^^_

_R&R please (:_

_DrAnime203 x_


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